The grammar suffix meaning is a letter or group of letters added to the end of a word to change what it means or how it works in a sentence. Add -ness to kind and you get kindness; add -ed to walk and you get walked.
Suffixes are one of the main ways English builds vocabulary, so learning a handful of common ones helps you guess hundreds of unfamiliar words. To define suffix properly, this page sets out a full definition of suffix, the two main types, tables of everyday suffixes, the spelling changes they cause, and the other places the word turns up, such as names and computer files.
Entry at a glance
Meaning
An ending attached to a word to form a new word or a new grammatical formPart of speech
Noun; also a verb (to suffix)Pronunciation
SUF-iks (noun); the verb can be SUF-iks or suh-FIKSExamples
-ness, -ful, -less, -ly, -er, -tion, -ed, -ing, -sOrigin
Modern Latin suffixum, from Latin suffigere, to fasten beneath; in English from 1778Opposite
prefix (added to the start of a word)Register
Neutral; grammar and spelling term
Suffix definition in plain words
A suffix is a word part that cannot stand alone; it only works when attached to the end of a base word, called a root or stem. It can do one of two jobs:
- Make a new word. teach becomes teacher, hope becomes hopeless, nation becomes national.
- Change the grammar of the same word. cat becomes cats (plural), jump becomes jumped (past), fast becomes faster (comparison).
The opposite of a suffix is a prefix, which goes at the front: un-, re-, pre-. Both are types of affix, the general name for any added part.
Two families: derivational and inflectional
Derivational suffixes create a new word, often of a different part of speech. -ness turns adjectives into nouns (dark to darkness); -ly often turns adjectives into adverbs (quick to quickly); -ify turns nouns or adjectives into verbs (simple to simplify).
Inflectional suffixes keep the same word but add grammar information. English has only eight: plural -s, possessive 's, third person -s (she runs), past -ed, past participle -en or -ed, present participle -ing, comparative -er and superlative -est. A word can take both kinds: help + ful + ness gives helpfulness, and teach + er + s gives teachers.
Common suffixes and what they do
| Suffix | Usual meaning | Makes a | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| -er, -or | person or thing that does | noun | baker, actor, heater |
| -tion, -sion | act or result of | noun | creation, decision |
| -ness | state or quality | noun | sadness, fairness |
| -ment | action or result | noun | payment, movement |
| -ful | full of | adjective | careful, joyful |
| -less | without | adjective | fearless, useless |
| -able, -ible | can be done | adjective | readable, visible |
| -ize, -ise | to make or become | verb | modernize, realise |
| -ly | in a certain way | adverb | slowly, honestly |
Knowing these lets you read a long word in pieces. Unbreakable is un- (not) + break + -able (can be): cannot be broken. See the pages on nouns, adjectives and verbs for more about word classes.
Spelling changes when you add a suffix
- Drop the silent e before a vowel suffix: make to making, love to lovable. Keep it before a consonant suffix: hope to hopeful.
- Double the final consonant after one short stressed vowel: run to running, stop to stopped, begin to beginning.
- Change y to i after a consonant: happy to happiness, carry to carried. Keep the y before -ing: carrying.
- British and American spelling differ with some suffixes: British and Indian writers tend to use travelled and realise, traveled and realize in American English.
Suffix meaning in sentences
- The suffix -less turns care into careless.
- Mr. Rao gave each pupil a highlighter to mark every suffix on the worksheet.
- Chemists suffix -ase to the names of many enzymes, as in lactase.
- Fill in your full name, including any suffix such as Jr. or III.
- Check the file suffix; it should end in .pdf, not .docx.
Other uses of the word
Outside grammar, a suffix is anything attached at the end. In names, suffixes such as Jr., Sr. or III follow a surname on forms in the US. In computing, a file name suffix (also called an extension) shows the file type, and a domain suffix is the last part of a web address. In mathematics and coding, a suffix can be a symbol added after a number or variable.
A Latin word for fastening
The noun suffix is recorded in English from 1778. It comes from Modern Latin suffixum, from Latin suffixus, fastened, the past participle of suffigere: sub- (under) plus figere (to fix or fasten). The verb, meaning to place under, is older, from about 1600. The related prefix uses Latin prae-, before. Prefixes, suffixes and roots all reappear across the grammar and writing entries on this site.
Frequently asked questions
Suffix, explained for a beginner?
Think of an ending you add to a word to make a new word or a new form. For example, adding -ful to help makes helpful, and adding -ed to play makes played.
Prefix or suffix: how do they differ?
A prefix is added at the beginning of a word, like un- in unhappy. A suffix is added at the end, like -ness in happiness. Some words have both, as in unhappiness.
What are the most common suffixes in English?
Grammar endings such as -s, -ed and -ing are the most frequent. For building new words, -er, -ly, -ness, -tion, -ful, -less and -able are among the most useful to learn.
Can one word carry two or three suffixes?
Yes. Carelessness has two: care + less + ness. Long words often stack several suffixes, which is why breaking them into parts helps.
How do you pronounce suffix?
The noun is SUF-iks, rhyming with rough licks. As a verb some people stress the second syllable, suh-FIKS, but SUF-iks is common for both.
Is -ing a suffix?
Yes. It is an inflectional suffix that forms the present participle or gerund of a verb, as in reading or swimming. Words like nothing or king simply end in those letters and do not contain the suffix.